Tears of a Maverick: The Preteen Years
by Animation Universe 2005
Summary: A follow-up to 'Tears of a Maverick'. Cody's preteen years. These events take place before the movie and I wanted to do the preteen years before the teen years. For Cody the Maverick, hope ya like it!
1. First Time Surfing

I am back, baby! I've done the childhood years of Cody Maverick. And now, you'll read the preteen years of our awesome penguin before he was a surfer. This one is for Cody the Maverick and I hope you like it! Enjoy!

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Tears of a Maverick: The Preteen Years

by: Terrell James

Chapter 1: First Time Surfing

Young Cody Maverick has come a long way since his childhood in Shiverpool, even though he's still different from everyone else and he's learned how to deal with it, even though it's kinda like everyone has doubts about his future and how he will ever grow, which is impossible for them.

Looking back on the past ten years, Cody has endured some hardships; growing up without a father (even though, it's partly his fault and that he died from a horrifying whale), getting picked on and such, it doesn't change the fact that he has something in store for his future; surfing.

His memories revert back at seven years of age, that he saw Big Z in person for the first time in Shiverpool and he gave him one of his Big Z necklaces and told him, 'Never give up. Find a way, cause that's what winners do.' That was the philosophy that he carried and Cody kept it for a very long time that whenever something goes wrong, he will always carry that saying and let him do what he wants.

Even though the saying is still in his noggin, it's not replaced by the original saying, 'Cody's me, let me be me' that his father taught him to say. Even though some people might not accept the fact that he's different, it taught Cody not to care what other people think, even though it's complicated for him.

Cody's thoughts were similar after he met Z and thinks, 'Someday, I will just be like him.'

Now, Young Cody is eleven years old, growing a little taller and his rockhopper hair is growing a little bit beneath the eybrows. One morning, he sits down near the house somewhere near the water, just thinking that he's up for the chance of surfing the waves. It took him a year and a half to learn how to surf, but he's up for testing out his skills.

He grabbed his icy board, looks at the water and waits for that one wave to come forth. He got up, walked near the waters, sits down, puts the board through his lap and waited. And he waited for several minutes until he sees a wave pass through. By that point, he gets up, grabs his board and runs through the water, just breaking in the skills he's been practicing.

"Let's see if these practicing pays off." Cody said.

He swims through the water, floats with his board and then, gets on it. Then, he started paddling his board around and when the wave started to go up, he turns around, continues paddling, and when it came time to stand up, he started breathing heavily, hoping that he gets his shot to make it a right move. He stands up on the board, and feels a little bit of air coming in.

As soon as he stood up, he feels the board carrying him through and he's feeling a lot confident about this. He rides through some icebergs and zig-zags through it and goes up in the air with his board and then lands back to the water, almost losing his balance.

It's like he's starting to fall off, but he tries to keep his balance steady as he could. He breathed heavily and said, "Okay, I can do this."

Soon, he keeps riding the waves and tries to come up with several tricks on his own. He makes some jumps, flips and leaps in the air, but somehow, some of them ends up with losing balances, falling in water several times and falling off the board all at the same time.

Then, he tries to make some big air by getting off the board, flying in mid-air, screaming, "I'm king of the world!!!"

And then, for a minute, he was on top of the world, but then he fell down to the water. He swam across the ocean and made it back up to the top. He was breathing a little bit and he looks around for his board. He turns left and right and asked himself, "Where's my board?"

There was no sign of the board anywhere. He started panicking a little for two reasons; he's on the water and the board's missing. Pretty soon, he was freaking out and screamed, "DUDE, WHERE'S MY BOARD?!!"

The scream was echoed a mile away and all of a sudden, in pops his board. He looks at it and chuckled nervously. He chuckled in complete embarassment and said, "Here it is."

He got on the board and then, all of a sudden, this wave starts coming in and as quick as he got up, the wave picks the board up and starts surfing the waves for the first time. He feels as if he was on top of the world again, until...

BAM!

He lands himself back to the water with his board. He holds on to the board, pops out of the top of the water and pants heavily. He's on the edge of the water and said, "This is not easy. Big Z never had it this hard before."

All he could think about is how he could ever be like Big Z and that his ability to surf will ever get the chance he needed to get out of Shiverpool and into Pen Gu Island and excel in an actual surfing competition may be a little difficult than he thought.

He sighs heavily with half of his fur soaking wet and he holds on to his Big Z necklace, looks at it and thinks about what he said. No matter what, he still has to everything he could to make his dream a reality, even though some people will question his future. It seems as though he will do whatever it takes to get himself out of Shiverpool.

"I will find a way....somehow."

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What'd I tell ya? Told you it was gonna be awesome! Stay tuned for more!


	2. Sense of Difference

Now that Cody'slearning how to surf, will the others take him seriously? Not even close, because he's still different and the others are giving him a hard time. For example...

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Chapter 2: Sense of Difference

As the days drag on, Cody tried everything he could do to make some sick moves that would get him out of Shiverpool, but it seems as though the harder he tries to make every move count, the more times he falls down on the water or lands his face with ice. His determination often at times slide away from his work or lack therof.

One afternoon, Glen walks past the ocean and sees his brother surfs the ocean...again. He sighs heavily, folded his arms and shook my head a little. He's hoping that he'll slip again and laugh at him as he did several times before.

"Come on, Cody. Fall down. I need to laugh my head off." Glen said, softly.

As Cody stands up, he goes near some icebergs and tries to get past them, but one blocked his way and he tries to stop, but he got smacked in the face in there. Right away, Glen started laughing hysterically to see Cody get hit in the face with an iceberg.

Soon, Cody groans and stands up on the iceberg, picks up his board out of the water and then, hears some laughter from the shore. He looks up and in comes his obnoxious, miserable excuse of a big brother laughing at him. His eyebrows grew lower and he can tell that he's starting to get ticked.

He shouted, "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

"You mean, besides you?"

He seethed a little and got back in the water with his board, paddling back to shore and sees Glen standing there with that stupid smirk on his face. He rolls his eyes and said, "Face it, Cody. Why do you do this to yourself?"

"So I can be the best that I can be!"

He scoffs and said, "Yeah, right. In a pig's eye. You should be focusing on hatching an egg and fish piling."

"Puh-leeze! My future is surfing. Get used to it."

"The only thing you can do better with that is getting hit by the water...as you always do."

"So?"

"So....why waste your time doing it?"

"It's called 'practice', stupid. I can do anything I can set my mind to."

"This Big Z is getting way over your head."

"You're wrong! He said to me--in person--never give up. Find a way, cause that's what winners do."

"Big Z...is dead."

That grew Cody more mad than ever. And he said, "I know he's dead!"

"He probably died to get away from you."

"Take....that...back."

"Nope!"

"That it back!!!"

"No. Big Z will never surf again!"

"TAKE IT BACK!!!!!" he screamed.

Then, he got on Cody's face and said, "Make me."

He growled at Glen and let out some heavy breathing and suddenly, he screamed and got into Glen. He starts slapping him in the face, punching him, pushing, shoving, kicking and everything he could do to make Glen take back what he said.

"You can't fight me, little brother."

Then, he kicks Cody and he fell down on the snow and just sat there. He panted and his eyebrows grew lower and said, "You're wrong! Sure, Big Z is dead, but at least I can be like him!"

"He'd have to be a little puny shrimp."

"He's not a shrimp! He's the best surfer ever! One day, you will take back what you said when I'm the best surfer in the world! You'll see!"

"Yeah, that'll be the day. Face it, Cody. You will never be like Big Z. What does a runt like you even get the chance to be like Big Z?"

It made Cody made furious than ever to hear those words that Glen said to him ans only said, "You're wrong! You're always wrong! Just because I'm small doesn't mean I will never be a great surfer! You're just making all this stuff up! It's all just a lie!! A big lie!!"

Glen looked at Cody and sees that he's really ticked and only ended the conversation with a slap in the face.

"OWWW!!"

It felt painful to him and Glen said, "That's what I think. You....are.....nothing."

Then, he only walked away, but Cody grew mad and he only pushed him down and with that, he ran away from him. He went back to the igloo, puts the board down and laid down on his bed. He panted furiously and then, those pants quickly turned to choked sobs. He started crying more than the could ever. Tears dropped out from his face and he wiped them quickly.

"How could he be so mean? He's just...he's just wrong....and it's not fair! It just isn't fair!"

He was sad, upset and also hurt; all rolled into one that Glen said something so mean to Cody. He covered his face and resumed crying. It just tore his heart to shreds when he heard Glen say stuff like that. It must mean that being different may be difficult when he grows up.

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How mean is Glen? Poor Cody! Hope you guys like it! There's more coming up....


	3. Enduring Bullies

And this is the outcome of being a target of the bully radar for Cody.

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Chapter 3: Enduring Bullies

As the days drags on, Cody has to deal with the most things that bothers him most; bullies. He's had a hard time surrounding himself with some people that never took him seriously because of what he does. One day, he was practicing his surfing moves and tries to master it, but overall, he ends up getting a facefull of icebergs coming his way.

Some other young penguins looked at Cody and kept laughing at him and pointing fingers at him for being ridiculous. As Cody tries to ignore it, he just continues on with his surfing. He paddled his board when a wave comes his way.

The penguins looked at each other and one penguin asked, "You think he's gonna fall?"

"I don't know. Let's find out. I hope he does, though."

All they could do is just stand there and wait until he slips up. Cody slides down the board and rides the wave. He rises up in the air and tries not to fall off, but he already lost a little bit of balance. One penguin started snickering, trying to hold his laughter.

He starts off pretty good and rides smoothly through the waves and then, as he gets some air, he lands on the ground full of snow. Both of the penguins began bursting out laughing at Cody.

Cody groans softly and then, covers the snow off of his face. Suddenly, he heard someone laughing at him...again, only to find out that it wasn't Glen this time. It's just two other penguins. He rolled his brown eyes and scoffed at them.

"Hey, Cody. When you say 'hang 10', did they mean really hang 10 or hang 10 facelifts? I'm confused."

"What does that supposed to mean?" asked Cody.

"You really think you can pull this off by getting a facelift of snow?"

"Hey, I'm practicing. That's something you guys never take seriously."

"We take practice seriously. What you're doing...not so serious."

Cody stands up, paddles his board back to the water and then swims directly back to shore and when he got there, he looks at them straight in the eye and told them, "You don't know anything about surfing."

"I know that it's the most stupid sport ever made."

"Take that back!"

"Make me!"

Cody got definitely furious at them and splashed some water on their faces. They both started cracking up laughing at him and one penguin asked, "Is that all you got?"

"You guys are wrong!"

"No, you're wrong, Maverick. How could a little runt like you possibly pass up to be the next Big Z?"

"He says I can be the best can be."

"He lied to you, Maverick. He never said anything about that stuff. He's making it up to make you believe in him."

Cody covered his ears to prevent hearing any of it. He closed his eyes and tried desperately to avoid the teasing and taunting. He got really mad and screamed, "You're both wrong! Big Z said I can do anything! And you're both lying!!!"

Then, one penguin pushed him down on the ground and he spat on him on the face. They started laughing at him and pointing at him. It completely crushed him completely.

"You're pathetic, Maverick. Once pathetic, always pathetic."

"You're a nobody! That's all you are and always will be--a complete and total nobody!"

They kicked some snow at him and started laughing and walked off. He wiped some snow off his face and looking at them, he just feels lost and alone in the world. He picked up his ice board off the water and then, he looked at himself in the water. Soon, he wondered is he really a nobody? It's hard for him to tell if he is what he is or not. But what they said is really wrong. And it just hurt his feelings more.

Being different from everyone else has taken its toll on Cody and he's not sure if he can ever cope with all this.

He sighed heavily, held himself tightly and started shaking. He lowered his head down and let one icy tear fall from his eye and it dropped in the water.

He whispered, tearfully, "Why do they always hate me? Life is just not fair."

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I know it seems short, but this is what I came up with. Stay tuned for more coming your way!


	4. Thinking Things Over

Several types of angst in Cody's mind....

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Chapter 4: Thinking Things Over

Several hours had passed and Cody is still thinking about how everyone else has been torturing him, because he's different from everyone else. It was nighttime in Shiverpool and the moon starts coming up and he's sitting near the water, just looking at the waves and tries to keep every little taunting voices in his head off of it.

It just seems as though being different from everyone was starting to be a big deal for everyone except for Cody. He's cool about being himself, even though some people don't seem to see it that way. He blinked his brown eyes twice, looks at his Big Z necklace and keeps remembering that voice on his head that Big Z told him;

'Never give up. Find a way, cause that's what winners do.'

He sighs heavily and is trying to take his advice and it seems as though his life would be a downhill spiral from there. What would it be like when he grows up? Will anyone take his dream seriously? Would anyone accept him for who he is? Those questions really got to Cody and it seems as though the more he thinks about it, the less he's capable of accepting himself, even at the age of eleven.

He goes to the water and only looks at himself again, just to see himself being him. He blinks twice and sighs heavily again and thinks to himself, 'Am I just being...difficult?'

"Cody?"

He looks up and turns around, only to find that his mom is standing there. She asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Just...thinking."

"Oh? About what?"

Cody didn't know what to say, and he asked her, "Is there anything wrong with me?"

"No. Of course not."

"But even if it was--something about me that no one understands--you'd tell me, right?"

Edna didn't know what to say to ease her son's frustrations and sometimes curiousity about everyone else giving him such a hard time about the way he is, regardless of how he is when he was born and then, he looked at him in the eye and said, "Of course I would."

Cody sucked his lips and then, looked at his mom and asked, "You'd still love me if I was different, right?"

"Of course I would. I would still love you, even if you are the same as everyone else."

"You sure?"

"Positive. It only matters on what you think. I understand some people are giving you a hard time, because of what you do, which is surfing, but you should choose what your passion is, even though everyone else might not seem to accept it but you should go for what you should accompish."

Cody thought about it for a second and he's thinking about what would it be like if he would be like Big Z and be the best surfer ever. Even if it means, getting through the hardships of his life since childhood. He looks at his mom and ends up giving him a hug. She embraced him and whispered, "I love you."

He smiled a little and said, "I love you too."

"Whatever you will do, I know you will make me proud."

"You think so?"

"I'm not quite sure about the surfing thing, but it's something you want to do. I can understand that."

"I guess so."

The only question is: How long will it be until everyone is used to Cody growing up, even if he's different?

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Hopefully, it will be cool. Stay tuned for more!


	5. Adolescence Angst

This is where adolescence wasn't so kind of Cody as well.

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Chapter 5: Adolesence Angst

A year has passed by and Cody Maverick is falling asleep in his bed. He opens his tired brown eyes and then, gets up off his bed and walks away, sluggish-like. He yawns softly and then walks around, not knowing that half of his fur was shedding away and sees his mom there.

He says, sluggishly, "Morning, mom."

"Good morning, Cody."

She turns around and sees half of his fur molting away from him and then, she asked, "Cody?"

"Yeah?"

"You didn't notice?"

"Didn't notice what?'

"Your fur."

"What about my fur?"

He looks down and sees half of it molting. His eyes widened and sees that they are molting. He asked, "What's happening to me?'

Then, he covered his mouth for a sec and his voice was changing a bit. He uncovered and asked, "Hello?"

He gasps and covers it again. He exhaled shakily and asked, "What's happening to me?"

"I can't believe it."

"Believe what?"

"You're growing into an adolescent."

"An ado-what?"

"Adolescence; you're getting into the pre-teen years."

"You mean, I'm--I'm--I'm gonna be a--

"A teenager."

"Is this bad?"

"No. All penguins turn into that stage. You're no longer eleven now."

"Well, how old am I?"

"Twelve."

"I'm 12 years old?"

"Yes. You're almost growing to be a teenager. Can you believe it?"

"No. No, I can't."

"Everyone has to grow into a teenager sometimes. Look at Glen. He's close to be a teenager and he's still a young kid."

"Well, what's gonna happen when I'm a teenager?'

"Everything changes about you; getting taller, your voice changes and everything else; you'll be thinking about fish, girls, other stuff."

"Girls?! Ewww! I don't even want to know about it."

"You know, someday a girl will come by and she will have even more lower standards than you." Glen said.

"Glen!"

Cody groans and said to himself, "This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me."

* * *

A few minutes later, he walked out of the igloo and walks around Shiverpool and just feels the need to surf. He got his ice-board and then, attempts to take a few waves and gets some practice done. He dives into the water, paddles his board towards the waves and when it rises up, he paddles quickly and then, stands up, starts riding and tries to master some moves of his own.

He goes up in the air and comes back to the waves, trying not to lose balance again. He goes past some little icebergs and zigzags through it, goes around the frozen areas to slide it across and tries not to get a facelift again.

Then, he sees one waves and he starts going up the wave with his board, paddling on it, then turns around and paddles it some more and when the wave started growing, he stands up on his two feet and starts riding it. He's going up in the air, holds his board tightly and attempts to do an alley-oop and starts spinning around in it. He starts exhaling deeply and whispered to himself, "I can do this. I can do this."

And a few seconds later, he tries to end it with an airborne move, but all of a sudden, the board slips and Cody falls down on the water again. He grabs onto his board and pants heavily. Being twelve wasn't gonna be easy for Cody and it seems as though that age will bring in some angst for him.

He got back on his board and paddles back to shore. As he got to shore, one of the penguins got in front of him, looking totally stern and said, "You're late, Maverick."

"I know, sir."

"Fish pile."

"Yes, sir."

He sighed heavily as he got off the water and asked, "Can I put my board back at the igloo?"

"Make it quick."

He quickly ran back to the igloo and puts the board back near his room and then runs back to him and then, he said, "Report to the fish pile, pronto."

Cody didn't say anthing and went on to his pile. He cimbs through the top of the pile as they start throwing fish and he catches it. Most of them he caught and other parts were in his face as they throw it. He groaned silently and said, "This is my life--catching crappy fish. Would I give anything to get out of this crappy dump."

"No complaints! Just catch the stinkin' pile!"

Cody sighed heavily as they continued throwing the fish to him and it just seems as though this age is not gonna be easier and how would he get through so much angst and also some loneliness.

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Whoever thought that being an adolescent could be so hard for Cody? Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	6. How to Deal with Being Different

A lonesome penguin gathers his thoughts....

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Chapter 6: How to Deal with Being Diffrerent

Cody has been feeling as if he doesn't fit in, just because he's different from everyone else in Shiverpool. Most people criticize him because of the way he is and also surfing. A few people have been giving him a hard time and he's been hearing a lot of 'Cody's this, Cody's that, Cody's this' a lot and it really got him down a lot.

He's trying to look in the positive side of things, but it doesn't seem to work well, because a lot of people are talking about him behind his back or face-to-face. All he can do is just accept himself for who he is and not what other people think, but that seems like a setback when dealing with bullies and people judging him.

One day, he decided to do some surfing to clear his mind off things and he paddled his ice-board to the water, passing some chunks of ice and he just looked at the sky for a little while, waiting for one wave to come through. He sighs heavily and lowers his head a little bit, thinking that if he'll ever be good enough for everyone else to accept him for who he is.

He's thinking to himself, 'I don't know they're just being so judgmental towards me in everything I do. I'm only 12 years old. I deserve some sort of compassion for once. The least they could do is support me of my surfing choice.'

A few minutes later, a little wave starts coming through the board and he turns his board around and lets the wave float through him. He's feeling some air, even though it's just a little amount of wave. He sighs heavily and keeps his mind focused on himself and his dreams.

A few seconds later, he got out of the water and then, he looked at his Big Z necklace and remembers the words Big Z said. It hadn't escaped his head and everytime he looks at the necklace, it makes him feel a little bit stronger and invincible at the same time.

He walks back to the igloo and he sees his mom in the kitchen and he turned to her and said, "Hey, mom."

"Hi, Cody."

He started walking towards his room until his mom told him, "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"Okay."

"And please, try to share with your brother."

"Come on. You know he always starts it."

"It doesn't matter. I just want to get through this dinner without you two killing each other over a tuna casserole."

Cody sighs heavily and said, "I'll try."

He walks back to his room, puts his icy-board in front of some icicles, then he starts polishing the board to make sure it's in perfect condition so he'll still be able to surf in it. As he was polishing his board, he saw himself in the board and immediately, it's like something has been bothering him for quite some time. Soon, he started to hear voices coming out of his head.

'You'll never be like Big Z!'

'This dude only told you that just to hide the truth that you will never be like him!'

'You're nothing, Maverick!'

'You're pathetic, Maverick! That's all you are, pathetic with a capital 'puh!'

'You will never be a surfer!'

'The dude is dead! He will never surf again!!!'

All those negative voices really brought him down. It's like he couldn't accept the fact that all these people were completely bringing him down. All he wanted to do was surf and be more than just different. He was just himself and there was nothing wrong with that, but it seems as though everyone in Shiverpool wasn't quite accepting the fact that he's not like everyone else. And this one voice in his head almost got him in depression mode.

'Why can't you just be normal like everyone else?'

That kind of comment really hurt his feelings as well and at 12 years of age. It's like he lost every ounce of spirit in him and it couldn't be returned. He sighed heavily and let out one icy-tear fall out his eye as he lowered his head down.

"Hey, dweeb! Dinner's ready!" Glen shouted.

"I'm coming."

Glen left the room and Cody wiped some of his tears out of his eye and walked out of his room, hoping that Glen doesn't make dinner go worse every few seconds.

* * *

Let's see the dinner scene between Glen and Cody goes.


	7. Dinnertime

Brothers fighting over tuna casserole...sounds familiar? Let's see if this will impress ya'll.

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Chapter 7: Dinnertime

Cody and Glen got to the table with their mom and she's whipping up some of her casserole. She looked behind and sees them coming in. She then told him, "It's so great to see you boys at the table."

"Well, we're here, aren't we?" asked Glen.

"Yes you are."

Cody sits down at the other end of the table, not saying anything and she looks at Cody and asked, "Is something bothering you?"

He turned to her and replied, "No, nothing's bothering me."

"You sure?"

"Of course."

"Well, okay then."

"So, where's dinner?" asked Glen.

"Wait for it, doofus."

"Cody!"

"Sorry."

"I'm bringing in the dinner for you guys and it's coming in a few minutes."

She starts bringing in the food she digested out of her stomach and then, spat out in front of the table and in comes her casserole. She excused herself, leaving Cody and Glen alone with their casserole. Soon, they looked at each other and Glen said, "Don't even think about it."

"About what?" asked Cody.

Cody tries to get the casserole, but Glen pushed him aside and scarfed it down, then Cody snatched it out of his mouth and into his own mouth. Glen snarled and then lunges at his throat and it spat out of his mouth and into the floor. They looked at it and looked at each other on who's gonna get it first, but Cody came in before Glen, but Glen already grabbed his foot and he fell down on the floor, getting the casserole first, but Cody climbed on his back and attempted to snatch the casserole out of his mouth and into his own mouth. Glen grabbed him by the legs to stop him and threw him down the floor.

Glen held the fish and laughed at him. Cody grew more furious and snatched it from him and plans to put it in his mouth until Glen tripped him over.

"What's going on here?" Edna asked.

Cody and Glen looked at each other and looked at their mother and said, "Nothing."

"Fighting over the casserole again?"

"He started it!" Cody said.

"Did not! You were the one snatching it from my mouth!" Glen exclaimed.

"Me? You did it first!"

"As if!"

"He kept snatching it from me, mom!"

"Did not! He keeps taking it from me!"

"Enough!"

Both stopped and Edna sighed and shook her head and told them, "This is why I didn't want this to happen every night. You two fighting over the fish. You're brothers and you're supposed to share."

"Sharing is the least thing I would do with Cody."

"What do you mean? You never share anything."

Edna sighed heavily and covered her eyes and went off to her room. They both looked at each other and Glen said, "This is all your fault."

"My fault? You were the one who shoved my face and kept me from getting the casserole first."

"And that makes it my fault?"

"Yes, it does."

Glen scoffed and said, "All in all, it's still your fault."

He walks away from Cody to check on his mother, leaving Cody a little ticked and somewhat disgusted to know that he was blamed for this, when in actuality, it was Glen's fault. He just couldn't stand being blamed by his big brother and their sibling rivalry has grown more huger than ever. He scoffed and whispered, "Forget him. Why is he still here anyway?"

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Quintessential sibling rivaly, right? Hope it's cool. Stay tuned for more of this1


	8. Doubtful

A little bit of second thoughts for Cody here....

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Chapter 8: Doubtful

A few days has passed by and Cody's starting to feel a little down and he decided he needed to surf. He picked up his board, got to the island and into the water, paddled his board on the water and just floated there; waiting on the wave to come forward.

While he was waiting, he started thinking about thinking that he would show the people in Shiverpool wrong and that he was gonna succeed in being a surfer just like Big Z. But he also had a few second thoughts.

He sighed heavily and asked himself, "Am I really gonna show everyone in Shiverpool wrong? Am I even good enough to even try? It's like no matter what I do, it's just not good enough for them."

He held on to his ice-board and just looked up at the sky, when he heard these familiar words that got stuck on his head since he was young.

'Just remember, if anyone says; 'Cody's this, Cody's that, Cody's this', just say to yourself, 'Cody's me, so let me be me!'

Those were the words that his father told him before he died that day. It seems as though those words are starting to disintegrate a little bit. He's also starting to doubt himself that if he was ever any good enough to be a surfer at all. With all these thoughts in his mind, he's starting to have just a little bit of low self-esteem coming through.

"If only it would be this easier."

Then, he looked at his Big Z necklace and realized that it would become such an impact that if he kept going. Regardless of what other people think, he's just gonna try everything he could do to keep himself going. Admist all the naysayers, he's gonna prove them wrong one way or another.

A few seconds later, he sees the first wave come up and he starts paddling his board and waits for that wave to float around. He stands up and just rides the wave in a gentle breeze. He sighs and looks at everyone in Shiverpool, just minding their own business and thinks to himself, 'I don't care what anybody says. I'm gonna be like Big Z, no matter what.'

He was able to put all naysayers and doubters to shame as soon as he gets older, but he's hoping that they might take his dream seriously and not put him down or be judgmental about it, because those are the kind of things that will put him down in the long run.

On the other hand, he's almost unsure that no matter what he thinks of himself, when it comes to being different from everyone else, he's starting to think that no matter what he does, will ever be good enough for him and that's the thing that he's having a hard time thinking about, because everyone seems to doubt that because Cody is different, his dreams about becoming a surfer might not be happening.

'Am I really proving myself or other people that I can be as good as everyone else is?' he thought to himself.

It just got him a little moody and somewhat unsure of himself that the chances of being a surfer is one in a million. Cody's thinking that maybe being like Big Z would make it kinda uneasy for everyone in Shiverpool and also because of the way he is.

As he was in the water with his board, he looked at himself in the water and all he could see was a reflection of himself-- a young penguin that wants to be a surfer, but most people view him as not like everyone else. He sighed heavily and blinked twice, and thought to himself, 'Wow. I really am different from everyone else.'

The thought of it seem to realize that he is different from everyone else and they're not used to him not as normal as he strives to be. He can't help himself not like everyone else cause that's just the way he is and it bothers everyone else a little bit, but not him.

One way or another, he is different.

Minutes later, he came out of the water, picked up his board and went back to the igloo, just to give some alone time and have his little space.

* * *

How will his doubts affect him? Stay tuned!


	9. Never Give Up

We pick up where the last chapter left off and another one of Cody's dreams is the answer call.

* * *

Chapter 9: Never Give Up

As he went back to his room, he sat down on his bed and laid down for a bit. Then, the only think he can look at is the ceiling, just sort of gathering his thoughts together and just thinking.

He sighed heavily for a minute and closed his eyes for a little while. While he was lying there, he started dreaming.

* * *

_Cody's dream_

_He was surfing the waves in Shiverpool, just doing whatever he's doing, hoping to catch a few moves and also to practice a little more. He got past a few icebergs and chunks of ice through the river, when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, someone smacks him out of the board and lands into the water._

_He was drowning for a quick second and pops back up in the water, catching some air. Then, he turns around and sees his humoungus wave crashing towards him. It swept him really hard and he was trying whatever he could to swim back to shore. He started swimming back up, but the waves was continued to pummel through him. He tries to keep his head above water, but the waves wanted to keep it under._

_There wasn't a single amount of help coming through. It was just him in the water with no one around. He turns around and starts to look a little scared that he's the only one there alone. He started breathing heavily and heard some voices come out of his head._

_'You're nothing....'_

_He turns around, pants heavily and asked, "Who's there?"_

_'You will never be a surfer....'_

_"You better come out here! I-I mean it!"_

_'You're pathetic, Maverick!'_

_"What do you want from me?"_

_'You're a loser, Maverick! That's all you ever will be.....'_

_Cody panted heavily and turns around, but there's nothing in front of, behind, on top of or even underneath him. Just him and the water. It just scares the crap out of him and those voices were surrounding him and multiple voices started exploding out of his head. He covered his head and closed his eyes, hoping that it could go away, but it grew louder and louder and louder and louder. He just couldn't take it anymore._

_Then, he screamed as loud as he could, hoping to stop the voices. The scream echoed all throughout the sea and everything fell silent. He looks around and there's no voices. He sees his icy-board pop out from under the sea and attempts the paddle back to shore. _

_As he was paddling, he heard a splash out of nowhere. He turns around and the waves to the water started to come up and he started paddling faster and faster and faster and then, underneath the water comes a strange object swimming around him. He stops paddling and looks around, and before he could even see it, a shadow figure lurks behind him and he slowly turns around and sees a huge whale coming in. Then, he pops out of the water and open his mouth. Cody was screaming loudly until...._

* * *

Back to reality....

He opened his eyes, gasped silently and looked around and he's still in his room. He panted heavily and knew that it was all a dream or a nightmare. He sighed heavily and said to himself, "It was just a dream."

He didn't know that he'd been sleeping for a long time. Must be because he might be tired. He looked at his Big Z necklace and noticed that he cannot turn away from what Z said to him.

He got up from his bed, looks around and sees pictures of Big Z surrounding his room. There were pictures of himself, holding some trophies and also playing his ukelele on the sunset. Cody couldn't accept the fact that he died and that it was all a blur. A few icy-tears fell down from his eyes and he wiped them, because someone might see them.

He walked back to his bed and starts crying for a few minutes. He knew that he couldn't let this be nothing part affect him for the rest of his life. Even when he's only 12, he can accomplish anything. He stops crying for a few minutes, sits on his bed and thought for a second that he cannot live the rest of his life, worrying what other people think. Surfing is his ultimate passion and he's wanted to be like Big Z and let the rest of the world admire his persistence.

He sighs and told himself, "I cannot give up on myself. No matter what people say, I will never give up. I'll find a way, because that's what winners do. I will do whatever I can to be a great surfer like Big Z."

All of the doubts are started to fade away very quickly and he's able to do whatever it takes to get out of Shiverpool and into Pen Gu Island, one way or another. If it's the last thing he does, he will continue to surf whether the entire colony of Shiverpool likes it or not, albeit that he's different from everyone else and Cody will let him be himself.

* * *

Is this sad or what? He'll be able to do what he's passionate about, even though he has some doubters in Shiverpool. Keep your head up high, Cody! Stay tuned for more!


	10. Cody's Struggles

There's nothing more boring than piling fish all day.

* * *

Chapter 10: Cody's Struggles

One day, Cody was at work in the fish pile, as always, catching the fish and putting them in a pile. It's like the most boring job he considered doing, probably thinking there's more to life than just piling fish all day and putting them in a pile. He sighs heavily as he continued catching the fish and some of them, most of the fish were thrown, but got missed and aimed at Cody's face.

The smell of fish in the face was the most hated part about the job. He groaned and said, "I hate this job."

He grunts heavily as he climbed back to the top fo the pile where he caught some more fish. He caught them as fast as he could, but some workers were a little agitated at Cody's timing.

"Come on, Maverick! Pick up the pace already!"

He rolled his eyes and said, "I'm picking the pace as fast as I can."

"Not good enough! I need more quickness."

"Whatever you say."

Cody is starting to grow aggravated by being judged by his work ethic. He grew a little ticked and muttered to himself, "Telling me I'm too slow. This dude is getting on my nerves, man."

He was able to shake it off and just continue piling fish and get it over with so he could go home with a few fish and then, surf the waves. That's something he likes to do instead of spending the rest of his life sorting the fish. He couldn't imagine anything more boring that sorting fish and putting them in a pile all day long.

After a few hours, Cody started to look a little tired and somewhat bored after work. When it came time to get home, Cody was breathing a huge sigh of relief as he got off the pile of fish, using one of the fish as a surfboard to him and slid down the pile, looking excited to come back home. He brought in five pieces of fish back home from work and he was able to walk home relieved.

As he got home, his mom saw him with pieces of fish and said, "I see you bought some fish home."

He grunted a little and said, "Yep. It should last for quite a while."

"Thanks, Cody. Leave them in the kitchen."

He dropped the fishes in the kitchen and Edna sorted them out. She asked him, "How was work?"

"Fine. Just a little boring."

"It's not that boring."

"Whoever said piling fish could be fun?"

"Most penguins say that when they're young."

"True."

She looked at Cody and saw his eyes being a little droopy. She told him, "You look a little tired."

"I know. I'm like, 12 years old and I need some energy to boost me up."

"Don't you think you should get a nap before dinner?"

"No, I don't like doing that when dinner's coming. I need to surf. That will always get my adrenaline pumping and then, I'll have a whole lot of energy to boost me up."

"Just be careful of those waves."

Cody chuckled softly as he walked out of the kitchen and then, he went to his room and got his ice-board. Before he can take it out, he polished his board to make sure it's in decent shape to use while he was surfing the waves. Then, he looked at himself on the board and his Big Z necklace at the same time. He still has that voice that Big Z told him and it still stuck with him.

He exhaled sharply and said, "Let's surf. I need an energy boost."

* * *

Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	11. Energy Boost

A grueling day at work can call for an energy boost and that would be surfing, of course.

* * *

Chapter 11: Energy Boost

Cody walked out of the igloo along with his board and went down the island to catch some waves. He jumped in the water, then, paddled his board towards the ocean, past some chunks of ice and just stayed there, waiting until the wave comes by.

Then, one wave came his way and he paddled his board and he turned around, stood up and just rode the wave. He almost lost a little bit of balance, but was able to keep it together overall. He breathed heavily and tried to keep himself steady throughout.

A few minutes later, a few penguins were watching Cody surf the wave. Most of them kinda doubt that his future as a surfer will ever be a reality.

"That kid won't stop surfing, can't he?"

"Like I said, he's different from all of us. This young whippersnapper is completely determined to surf the waves. How could he possibly live up to be like Big Z?"

"I think he's working harder. Even though, he slips a couple of times."

Cody continued surfing the waves, trying to master it to get his energy levels back on track. Literally, after five minutes, he feels his energy rate going up for a little while and he's got every ounce of energy he needed to keep himself going. Sometimes, he feels as if most people in Shiverpool will doubt that his destiny of being a surfer besides being different from anyone will ever have a chance.

He was able to prove them wrong and that he can surf the waves, even though he's not normal like everyone else. He still keeps that voice inside his head and it tells him to keep moving and keep doing what he's passionate about which is surfing the waves.

Even though he's been living without a father figure for 12 years, what will he like when he grows up? It seems as if some will believe that he won't make it in life, but Cody is determined to put those naysayers to shame. He will do whatever it takes to surf the waves and be just like Big Z.

10 minutes in and he's getting all the energy he needs after doing some zigzags, flips, turns and other tricks he's been mastering with his ice-board. He went out of the water, his energy rising up again. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief and felt good about himself. He grabbed his ice-board, chuckled softly and then went back to the igloo to have some dinner. It feels as though he's starting to be energetic after surfing the waves and it became a great exercise for him and also a way to be like Big Z every given moment.

* * *

I know it's short and I apologize. There's more angst coming your way!


	12. Tormenting Voices

Told you it was gonna filled with angst!

* * *

Chapter 12: Tormenting Voices

As Cody walked towards the islands of Shiverpool to do his fish-piling, he went to his pile, where the fish always thrown it to him and the penguins started throwing all the fishes to him. But he was unaware that some people were whispering something about him behind his back.

"This kid is definitely a disgrace to our colony."

Cody focused on piling all the fish in his pile and often times, most of the penguins were kinda irritated of him surfing all the time, so one threw the fishes harder and it landed on his face--on purpose. It smacked him in the face and fell down near the snow. He groaned softly and all he could see was the cloudy sky and rubbed his head as he sat up. He looked up and climbed back to the fish pile and when he did that, some penguins threw another fish at Cody, but he missed.

He looked down and asked, "What was that all about?"

"What was what?"

"Someone threw some fish at me."

"Oh, really? Did someone throw it like this?"

Then, he threw the fish and it smacked Cody's face...again. He groaned and fell down again, which made the other penguins burst out laughing. He got up and answered, "Yeah, like that."

"Well, that's what you deserve."

Cody looked confused at this and asked, "What are you guys talking about?"

"We get tired of you surfing all the time and ever since you had that necklace, it's like it's all that you could ever do."

"What's wrong with that?"

"We definitely think you're a disgrace in Shiverpool."

"A disgrace?"

"Yes. Because you were born different and not as normal, we should we take you seriously?"

"That's just the way I am."

"Who the heck do you think you are supposed to be?"

"I'm just being myself."

"That is not good enough. You shouldn't even be a surfer here in Shiverpool or outside of here."

Cody didn't want to stand here and listen to this. His eyebrows grew lower and said, "I'm going back to work."

He climbed up in his pile, away from the conversation and he shouted, "You are a nobody, Maverick! Always have been, always will be! You will not succeed in life!"

Most of the penguins continued to say spiteful things about Cody, but he was attempted to drown it out by piling some more fish. Although, he was starting to feel a little hurt about being called a nobody by his co-workers.

After work, he was able to get back home, but what he wasn't ready for was some penguins staring at him, frowning down on him, shouting and jeering at him and also throwing snow at him.

"This kid is not a normal scout!"

"He should be taken away from here!"

"You're a nobody, Maverick!"

"You're nothing!"

"Cody Maverick is a disgrace to Shiverpool!"

"He shouldn't belong here!"

"His father must be crazy to raise that unnormal, surf-riding, Big Z wannabe FREAK!!!!"

That was the straw that broke his back. Being called a freak by someone really started to tear him up. He looks around and sees everyone penguin taunting and tormenting him, almost as if the entire colony of Shiverpool is against him because of the way he is.

He panted heavily and started running from the colony and made it to his igloo. All he could hear was silence and no ounce of torment in the living room. He started breathing and exhaling sharply and he walked towards his room. As he got there, he could still hear those voices from his head and wanted to get away for a little while.

Tears were falling fown his face and he left his room to the other side of the island to give himself some alone time. He was in this one area where there's no one else around but himself, away from the tormenters where it's near the water, where he surfs by all the time and sits down on this frozen area and start crying.

Why would anyone call him a freak? Is Cody Maverick really like that?

* * *

That was brutal calling Cody a freak. How would this affect his life? Stay tuned for more!


	13. I'm Not a Freak, I'm Just Me

We pick up from where we left off at.

* * *

Chapter 13: I'm Not a Freak, I'm Just Me

After several minutes, Cody hid himself in an area near Shiverpool in a dark icy hideaway to let some of his tears flow after that vicious debacle of being called a freak.

"Why would anyone call me that?" he asked, tearfully.

He looks at the entire colony and sees that most of them were showing their true feelings about Cody and how they hid it for so long. He never realizes that this is what they really felt about him being different from everyone else and it was painful to him. He blinked twice and hides away from everyone else. It was hurtful to him to hear those words, one of which is being called a 'freak' to his face for the first time. He couldn't do anything wrong. He's just being himself, which everyone in Shiverpool is definitely not used to.

He sighed heavily and sniffled two times as some of his tears were coming out of his eyes. He took a look in the river and sees his reflection again. All he could see is himself. He felt deeply scarred inside that somebody called him a freak. It just tore his heart to pieces that he's been getting backlashed from people who refered to him as a nobody.

'You're pathetic, Maverick!'

Was he really somebody to prove the others wrong and that he can be what he's meant to be?

'You don't even belong here?'

Or was he a penguin just trying to fit in with the rest of the Shiverpool colony?

'You are NOTHING!!!!!!!'

All those thoughts that he had was burning inside of his head. He closed his eyes for a sec and then, slams his flippers to the water really hard. He closed his eyes and started crying softly and his eyebrows grew lower and then he opened his eyes and he's starting to feel very angry as he splashed the water furiously and screamed, "I AM NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!"

The scream definitely echoed through the island like it can be heard from a mile away. He suddenly broke down into tears again and curled himself up in a little ball and resumed crying.

All of a sudden, a flipper was placed in his shoulder and he looked behind and sees his mom there. She wiped the tears from his face and gently soothed him.

Then, she looked at him and said, "You are not nothing."

Cody sighs and said, "You could hear me, huh?"

"Yep. I just heard you scream and I noticed you're hiding yourself away from everyone."

"Mom, am I a freak?"

"No! Of course you're not a freak."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"Just because you're not normal, it doesn't make you a freak."

"How do you know?"

"Forget what they said. You know you can do anything you set your mind to. You just have to believe in yourself. They don't know about you at all. That's just the way you are and just accept yourself for who you are. You don't have to be perfect like them. You're just wonderful the way you are."

Both of them looked at the water together and Cody asked, "If I'm not a freak, then who am I?"

"You're Cody Maverick. I know for a fact that he doesn't care what other people think of him. All he can do is let him be himself. You can't please anybody. You can only think of what you think."

He looked at his mom and realized that she's right. It didn't matter who would think of him whether he's different or not. He's just himself. At that point, he said to her, "It seems as though you're the only one who understands me."

"I'm a mom. That's my job."

She gives him a hug and whispered, "I love you, Cody."

"I love you too, mom."

He lets out one last icy-tear fall down his face and it landed on the water. She looked at him and said, "Let's go home."

"Okay." he whispered.

Both of them swam back home to their igloo and Cody definitely feels as if no matter what anyone says about him, he will let him be himself. Even though he's not a freak, he can still feel good about himself as well. As soon as they got back to shore, both of them walked back to the igloo, but Cody stopped for a few minutes and looked at the moon in the sky.

Cody smiled to himself and said, "I am special. And I always will be special."

After a few minutes, he walked back to the igloo, feeling good about himself. And he is special in more ways than one. The question is: Will anyone still get used to him, even though he's different as he grows up? Who knows? One way or another, he's still himself.

Then, Cody whispered, "I'm not a freak. I'm just....me."

* * *

Is that sweet or what? Stay tuned for more of this awesome story!


	14. Another Day Older

We now turn the age to 13.

* * *

Chapter 14: Another Day Older

One year later....

June 7th, 2002

It's early in the morning and young Cody Maverick is sitting in the snow, watching the waves go by. Looking forward to make some serious waves and surf some gnarly waves. Pretty much a typical day to get his dream to transform into reality.

It must be a perfect day to do so, because it is a special day for him. He looks at himself in the water and he sees himself maturing a little bit. It could only mean one thing....

Cody Maverick is 13.

He sighs heavily and gets on ice-board, still wears his Big Z necklace on neck and goes off in the river and surfs the waves like there's no tomorrow. He starts paddling the river, just waiting for the waves to come by. A few seconds later, a wave comes through and he starts paddling his board and turns himself around, hoping to catch some big air.

As soon as the wave gets bigger, he starts paddling and then, he stands up on his two feet and starts surfing. He could definitely feel the wind blowing through his face and tries to keep a balance towards himself. He leaps his board towards the air and lands on the water, trying not to fall down.

He zigzags into some chunks of ice, going around them and he keeps getting into some big air and slides across some ice. He was determined to get out of Shiverpool and into Pen Gu Island, hoping that he can get noticed for his surfing skills, even though he slips at times.

He breathes heavily and feels the wind through his rockhopper eyebrows and through his fur. It seems as though he's gonna do everything he can to be like Big Z and he's not stopping at any given moment.

He still keeps that quote that Big Z gave him when he was seven;

'Never give up. Find a way, cause that's what winners do.'

He's more than determined that he'll do whatever he can to keep surfing and make his passion a huge reality as soon as possible.

Then, he sees one wave coming and he paddles his board and goes up in the wave and he turns around, paddles a little bit and then, stands up and takes the ride in the wave. He makes a huge airborne move and is soaring his board high in the sky and lands back on the water and continued surfing.

After that, he looks back and sees the wave as his 'perfect wave.' He chuckled softly and said, "That is a sick move."

Then, he paddled back to shore and within a period of time, his practice is the best way to start off his 13th birthday.

Then, he went back to his room, puts his board down, and starts polishing it, to make sure that it's in perfect condition. He sighs heavily and said, "What a great way to start off my birthday."

Then, out of the blue, he couldn't believe he heard himself. His voice was growing a little lower and grew a little taller. It's like something was changing Cody. He looked at himself with his ice-board and wonders what's hapenning to him.

Then, he asked himself, "Am I growing older?"

It's like he doesn't know that he's growing older and that he's turning into a teenager. He sighed heavily and realizes that he's growing a lot older, regardless of how he is. Hard to believe that it's been 13 years of his life already and he's turning into a teenager. Cody couldn't believe that he's turning into a teenager and doesn't know how it happens.

"I'm...almost a teenager. Me, a teenager? Okay, this is way past weird."

* * *

I bet being 13 for Cody is a little weird. Stick around for more!


	15. Understanding Teenhood

Pick up from where we left off about changes in Cody.

* * *

Chapter 15: Understanding Teenhood

Cody was in shock, knowing that he's close to being a teenager pretty soon. His big surprise is that his voice changes and he looked kinda different than what he was as a kid. He sighs heavily and whispered, "Where's my childhood?"

He went out of his room and saw his mom, sitting there and he looked absolutely worried and completely anxious about turning 13. He slowly walked towards her and asked, "Mom?"

She looked at Cody and said, "Hello. So, how does it feel to be 13?"

Cody chuckled nervously and said, "That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about. Is there something changing me?'

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my voice has changed, my face looks kinda different, my fur is molting...again and I'm a little taller."

Edna didn't know what to make of it that he grew taller, but she told him, "You're growing older, which means you're a teenager."

"I know. What does being a teenager feel like?"

"It feels somewhat different. You're growing older and it means that most times, you're turning from a kid into a young adult. But you're in the early teens, which means you're an adolescent."

"An adolescent?"

"You're still a kid, but you're a pre-teen as well."

"What do teenagers do?"

"Most times, they prepare themselves for every challenge in life; such as thinking about going for their dreams and also dreaming about girls."

"Girls? I don't know about it."

"It happens every time. I'm pretty sure you'll find a girl soon."

"What girl would want me?"

"For one, you're likeable, amazing, fun to be around and maybe they feel the same way you always feel."

"Like..."

"Feeling lonely."

Cody didn't want to say anything, because he's a loner as well and he's not sure about meeting other people because he's not normal like everyone else. It was a long pause and he looked at his mom and asked, "Is being a teenager a good thing?"

"It's a very good thing. You should just embrace it, because there's a lot of things that teenagers do all the time."

"Like what?"

"Have some fun."

"Wow. Must be nice."

"It does."

Cody thought that being a teenager at first could be scary, but realizes that it wouldn't be so scary at all. He looks at his mom and said, "I guess you're right. I guess being 13 may not be that bad."

"You just have to embrace being that age. It means you're growing into a young man."

Cody chuckles and said, "Thanks, mom."

"Don't mention it. Also, happy birthday."

"Thanks."

"Hey, pipsqueak! Glad to see you don't have your periods yet." Glen snerred.

"Very funny, Glen. Nothing you say can bring me down because I'm 13 now."

Then, Glen pinched Cody's cheeks and said, "Look at my little brother. Turning 13 and yet he still looks like a baby pipsqueak!"

He lets go of his cheek and Cody said, "You think you're so funny."

"Get used to it."

"I'm going to surf."

"Don't let the water hit you!"

"Oh, shut up!"

* * *

Nothing like sibling rivalry on his 13th birthday. Must be nice! Stay tuned for more!


	16. Thoughts in Mind

What's on Cody's mind? Let's find out...

* * *

Chapter 16: Thoughts in Mind

Nearly two weeks has passed since he turned 13 and Cody is sitting near the ocean, just thinking. He takes a gander at the ocean and sees the ripples through the reflection of the sky. It seems as if time has sped up in his life that he dealt with being different from everyone else and surfing the waves in Shiverpool kinda almost in a sense helped him to escape all the naysayers in his life and those that judge him because he's different from some of them.

He couldn't do anything wrong. He's just being himself because that's just the way he is. The one downside about it is how the entire colony sees him as a 'freak'. That comment really hurt him deeply when he was 12. It was like a huge slap in the face for him that the colony really felt about Cody.

He couldn't get his head wrapped around that someone called him a freak in person. It's like a huge wound that cuts him open and it won't be healed. Even though it happened last year, it's like it happened so quickly.

Half of those voices were still echoing through his head and it's like it couldn't escape.

_'He's a disgrace to the entire colony!'_

_'You're a nobody, Maverick!'_

_'You're nothing!'_

_'He shouldn't belong here!'_

_'You will not succeed in life!'_

_'His father must've been crazy to raise that unnormal, surf-riding, Big Z wannabe FREAK!!! You know what, he probably died to get away from you.'_

Those scathing words that the entire colony said to Cody really tore him up. It made him feel totally hurt and often times, just misunderstood. He sighed heavily and scooped up some snow from his hand, rolled it to a ball and just threw it on the water.

"I'm still not a freak. I don't know what's wrong with me. I know I'm....different from everyone else, but it's not a bad thing. That's just the way I am." Cody said.

Seconds later, he looked at himself in the river and sees his reflection again. It's like there's so many questions on his mind and on his head, like;

'Why am I so different? Why does everyone give me a hard time? Is it a bad thing? How come I'm not....normal like everyone else?'

It's kinda frustrating for Cody, because he doesn't know how to answer those questions. It was really painful to hear those words. Then, he looked at his Big Z necklace and remembered what Big Z told him. He whispered to himself, "Never give up. Find a way cause that's what winners do."

And then, he looked up at the sky and remembers another quote;

"Cody's me, just let me be me."

He was willing to do whatever it takes to prove the naysayers wrong and let him be himself. If that means do whatever he can to get out of Shiverpool and surf his heart out, so be it.

He looked at himself again and said, "I don't care what everyone else thinks of me. I'm gonna be a surfer and I will be like Big Z, whether they like it or not. I may be different, but at least I can do great things in my life. I'm gonna be just like him someday."

* * *

This is most angsty! Love it! Stay tuned for more!


	17. Judgmental

And this is where the judgmental feelings of Cody's surfing begins....

* * *

Chapter 17: Judgmental

As the months went on, Cody kept surfing every day and tries to be more like Big Z, albeit being different from every rockhopper penguin in Shiverpool, which is kind of a big deal to them and just normal to him.

There was a slight change though; his mom is starting to be a little judgmental about his future as a surfer. It's like one minute, she's okay with it and then the next, she's not so sure about what he does all the time.

It's like he doesn't understand who much this was meant for him and it's like a make him or break him type of thing, when it comes to what he wants to be in his future.

Cody was walking past the ocean, just looking at the beautiful ocean of Shiverpool and imagines that it's Pen Gu Island for a quick second. He could see it now--the trees, the sunshine, sand, surf--just everything that he could ever want. Whereas in Shiverpool, there's snow, ice, ice chunks and water--even though he can surf through the area.

In reality, it seems as though Cody wants to get out of Shiverpool more than anything in the world. Surfing is his only option to get himself out of there and surf some huge waves in Pen Gu. Nothing makes him more stronger than what he's already been through in his life.

He brought in his ice-board and decided to surf the waves for a few minutes. He paddles through the ocean and also to wait for that one wave to come in. He sighs patiently as he awaits the perfect wave to come forward. While waiting, he's looking at his Big Z necklace and just thinking about Big Z a lot and hopes to feel his presence inside of him. It's like everytime he surfs, he feels Big Z's spirit surrounding him.

It just gave him an amount of energy to give him the push that he needs to get through his dream.

A few seconds later, he saw the wave coming in and he's on the move. He swims up to the wave, paddles back as it's coming in and he stands up, just catching every glimpse of it.

He tried to keep standing and most times, he goes through some ice chunks in front of him and tries to get past them and everytime he tries some tricks, he ends up falling out of the board or loses half of his balance.

It's like the wave wasn't staying still for Cody's ice-board and he tries very hard not to lose his focus. Then, he tries to surf this big wave coming through and he tries to make a loop-de-loop around it, but as he did, he falls down to the water with his board. He swims underwater to get back to the surface and pops out of the water with his board, and then, the wave crashes into him and brings him back to shore along with his board.

At that point, Cody was soaking wet and his fur was totally soaked. He shook it off and picked up his board and exhaled sharply. He looked at the water for a quick second and thought to himself, 'Maybe tomorrow I'll have better luck.'

With that, he walked back to his room and also, shook all of the wetness out of his fur. He sighs in relief and put his board down and gave it a little spick-and-span. He wants to make sure that it's in perfect condition so he'll use it next time he sees a wave coming in.

A few minutes later, he went in the living room and sees his mom in the kitchen, with the fish as usual. He said, "Hey, mom."

"Hey, sweetie. Just saw you surfing today."

Cody sighs heavily and knew where this is going. He said, "Don't let the giant waves hit you. I know, I know."

"I can see that the wave hit you hard."

"Well, it kinda did, but it wasn't that bad."

"You know, I'm starting to believe that maybe this surfing thing isn't what I consider as a choice for your future."

"What do you mean? You always say that every time. You said I could be anything I wanted to be."

"Yes, I know. But I'm not so sure anymore that this is the way to get out of Shiverpool."

"But....it's my dream, mom."

"This is what you really wanted?"

"More than anything. Plus, I'll probably get out of Shiverpool when I'm older."

"Like how old?"

"I don't know, maybe 18 or 17."

"17? That's kinda too young."

"But this could be my only chance. Someone might recognize me for my talent. Well, maybe not now, but they should."

"Do they really?"

"It's always been my dream to surf and leave Shiverpool for this."

"I'm not sure about you leaving Shiverpool for your dreams."

"It's my only chance to prove everyone in Shiverpool wrong and that I can surf, no matter how different I am."

"Do they really want to put you in just because you're different?'

"No, because this is my dream."

Edna sighed heavily and told him, "I'm gonna need some time to think this over."

She went into her room, leaving Cody feeling kind of like she never understood his passion of surfing and how talented how he is. Even though she sees a talent in him, it seems as though surfing wasn't really how she expected it to be.

He knows that he is talented in surfing is his only true passion and it's gonna take everything he needs to surf the waves and hopefully, get out of Shiverpool when he gets a little older.

He sighed heavily and walked back to his room, just giving him his space to sort of think that his dream matters only to him, not what everyone else thinks or say. Only what he thinks of himself, often he wonders, will it ever be realized.

* * *

How will this affect his future? The next chapter will be dramatic with a capital 'D'!


	18. What If

After the judgemental scene, he asks the simple question, 'What if...' This will be dramatic!

* * *

Chapter 18: What If....

Cody lays on his bed, just thinking about everything his mom said to him and how she got to be so judgmental about his surfing. It's like she's apprehensive about him leaving Shiverpool when he gets older and actually goes to Pen Gu Island to be like Big Z.

Still, he wonders that if he will ever prove the colony in Shiverpool wrong that different people are good at something, even if it means surfing. It's like his own adrenaline rush for his dream and it's the only thing he grabs onto to make this a dream come true for him.

However, the naysayers really got him to his head and wonders what if they're right about what they said.

Cody sighs heavily and asked himself, "What if...they tear down my dream as a surfer?"

That was a heavy question that remains on his mind.

Soon, he starts dreaming about what will happen if they actually do that.

* * *

_Cody's dream_

_Cody's surfing around the waves of Shiverpool and it's like every other day when he surfs, even though he's different from everyone else. As he was surfing the waves, someone out of nowhere comes to him and says, "Cody's a loser!'_

_He turns around and sees a penguin next to him and he shuddered heavily and looks again and there's no one there. He thought to himself, 'Maybe this is a bad dram and it'll go away.'_

_Then, someone threw some fish at his face and he heard someone laugh uncontrollably at him and said to his face, "Cody will never be a surfer! He's a freakin' nobody!"_

_All of a sudden, the ice-board swipes Cody out of there and falls into the water. He tries to keep his head above water, but the waves were slamming him down and slams him back into shore. He moans softly and spits water out of his beak and starts coughing._

_He pants heavily and looks around and sees Shiverpool, chunks of ice broken down to pieces and looking messed. He walks around and asked himself, "What happened here?"_

_Someone threw a snowball at him and he looks around and it's his mom standing there. He gasped in shock and realized that it's his own mother throwing a snowball at his son. He said, "Why did you do that?"_

_"Cause you don't belong here." she said, in a monotone voice._

_"What are you talking about? I do!"_

_"You don't belong here."_

_Then, she walks in zombie-like form and gets Cody, as well as the other residents in Shiverpool turns into zombies repeating, 'You don't belong here.'_

_Cody was surrounded by all the zombies and they got close to him and there was nowhere else to turn. He shuddered in fear and screamed, "LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

_"You don't belong here. You don't belong here. You don't belong here....."_

_The voices got into Cody and all hands were surrounding him and he screamed, "HELP!!!!!"_

* * *

Back to reality....

He gasps heavily as he got up and looks around and he's in his bedroom. He panted furiously and whispered to himself, "This is just a bad dream."

He sighs in relief that he's back to reality, but still he often wonders that everything they said to him at that dream is true or not; that he doesn't belong here.

It's like everytime he surfs, it's as if everyone sees him as a stranger in Shiverpool, like no one noticed him at all. That really got him down and it got to the point that he is an outcast.

He gets up, walks to his ice-board and sees himself in the board. It's like to him, he's just himself, but to everyone else, he's a stranger in the colony. But one way or another, one thing is for sure--

He is an outcast.

He sighed heavily and asked, "Is this who I am for the rest of my life? It feels as if...I don't fit in here anymore."

* * *

How sad. Hopefully, he'll keep his chin up sooner or later! Find out next!


	19. All I Can Be

This is definitely the most angsty chapter ever! Hope you like it!

* * *

Chapter 19: All I Can Be

It seems as though for the first time, Cody's dream of being a surfer became to be an uncertain one because he's different from everyone else and all he wanted to do is prove people wrong to know that even though he's not normal from everyone in the colony of Shiverpool, it doesn't mean that he shouldn't stop himself from going after his dream.

There were many things in his mind that he was curious about, like is he really gonna show the colony that even though he's different, it doesn't make someone a person? Or is it that some people will go afetr their dreams, regardless of who they are?

Those seem like uneasy questions for Cody and it seems as though he's thinking this very hard.

Cody was pacing around his room, just thinking of himself and seeing that for the first time, his mother began to be a little judgmental of his future.

He starts hearing his mother's voices in his head, which are kinda hard too hear, because this is his dream, in which she almost supported him throughout his childhood and now it seems as if she's having second thoughts about his future, simply because he's leaving behind Shiverpool for it.

'I'm starting to believe that maybe this surfing thing isn't what I consider as a choice for your future.'

'I'm not so sure anymore that this is the way to get out of Shiverpool.'

'I'm not sure about you leaving Shiverpool for your dreams.'

'Do they really want to put you in just because you're different?'

He just couldn't believe that his own mother is doubting her son's dream of being a surfer. It's like she was being a little against it, regardless of what he does.

He sighed nervously and asked himself, "Am I really capable of following my own dreams? I hope that whatever I do, I will do whatever it takes to represent the other penguins outside of Antarctica that are different from others, but still follow the same dream as I am."

It seems as though he can do no wrong and all it takes for him is to just follow his heart and go from there.

He looked at his icy-board and realize that there are some risks that he's willing to take in order to get himself out of Shiverpool and into being a pro surfer, even if it means people doubting him and looking down on him just because he's different from everyone else in Shiverpool, but he's just himself and that's how he is.

He picks it up and said, "I will be like Big Z, no matter what people think of me, because I can be all I can be. Cody's me, man. Let me be me for once."

* * *

Being judged because you're different is no fair! There is no shame of being different from other people. The last chapter can tell you about it!


	20. Believe in Me

This is the last chapter of this fic. I'm leaving this in a good note.

* * *

Chapter 20: Believe in Me

A few minutes later, Cody picked up his icy-board and walked towards the island and starts to go out surfing. He got on the water, paddled his board in the river and it seems as if those naysayers of his dream might be taking his toll on him. Regardless of what he says or does, everyone doesn't believe that his surfing dreams would turn into reality.

As Cody is waiting for the wave to commence, he said to himself, "I don't care what everyone says. I will be me. I will be like Big Z, even though I'm different from them. I mean, so what if I'm different from everyone else? Big deal. I can do anything I can set my mind to and if it means I surf until someone understands me, then that's how it will go."

After a few seconds, one wave starts to come up and it's a small one. He starts paddling his board and turns around to catch some movements from it, then as the board comes towards him, he stands up and rides on it. It was a little wave that pushes the board and he's hoping that Cody will maintain his balance while on the board himself.

All he could see is his igloo; no penguins out there. Just him, his board and the ocean, all by himself. For Cody, it seems like a peaceful night for him to be by himself and just get away from everything just to surf some sick waves.

Then, another wave comes towards him and he starts to ride on the wave as he paddles his board, stands up, and lets himself go. He tries to master some moves, like going airborne without losing his balance, which he tries to anyway. Within a few seconds, he finally stood still and rides the wave like it's no tomorrow. It's as if he's starting to connect the waves a little more. That in itself is how he predicted he would do in Pen Gu Island, even though he's only 13.

He sighs softly and whispered, "I got it."

Then, he paddled his board back to shore and gets off the water with a sigh of relief. He sits on the snow near the ocean, just catching some air after some surfing. He looked at his Big Z necklace and still remembers the saying that Big Z told him;

'Never give up. Find a way, cause that's what winners do.'

He still keeps it locked in his head and looks up at the full moon in the sky as he feels the wind blowing and said, "I hope I can be like you when I get older."

Minutes later, he looked at himself in the river as his reflection. It seems as though there were two sides of Cody;

One was determined to prove the naysayers of Shiverpool wrong and that he can be the best he can be and strive to be the best surfer like Big Z and leave behind the place that's stopping him because he's different

And the other side is a person that is just trying to be like someone else, but is afraid to know that if someone judges him because he's different.

His personalities made him feel as if he really is different and strives to be himself, no matter what. With confusion in his heart, it seems as though he needs to let it out the best way possible; by singing. He looks around and sees no one there and decides to let it out--just once.

_Look at me you may think you see  
Who I really am but you'll never know me  
Every day it's as if I play a part  
Now I see if I wear a mask  
I can fool the world but I cannot fool my heart_

_Who is that dude I see staring straight back at me?  
When will my reflection show who I am inside?_

_I am now in a world where I  
Have to hide my heart and what I believe in  
But somehow I will show the world  
What's inside my heart and be loved for who I am_

_Who is that dude I see staring straight back at me?  
Why is my reflection someone I don't know?_

_Must I pretend that I'm someone else for all time?  
When will my reflection show who I am inside?_

There's a heart that must be free to fly  
That burns with a need to know the reason why

Why must we all conceal what we think and how we feel?  
Must there be a secret me I'm forced to hide?  
I won't pretend that I'm someone else for all time  
When will my reflection show who I am inside?  
When will my reflection show who I am inside?

No matter what will happen as he grows up, he will stop at nothing to get to his dream. No matter what anybody says or does to bring him down, he will be like Big Z.

He says to himself, "I believe in me. I'm going after my dreams and no one's gonna stop me from doing what I'm passionate about. One day, I will be like Big Z and surf the waves just like him."

* * *

The song is "Reflection" from Christina Aguilera. I changed the lyrics to dude because it reflects Cody's personality. Well, this wraps up 'Tears of a Maverick: The Preteen Years'. I'm glad that you enjoyed reading it as I have enjoyed writing it. I'm gonna do the teen years from 14-16 and later I can write about his life before the movie and yes, the age is 17. Laterz!


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